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Monday, November 30, 2009

Seasons in the Church

Like all of nature, our Church celebrates different seasons during the year. The major seasons are Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is the longest season.

We are now beginning Advent. It is a season of waiting and preparation. It is a season of anticipation and expectancy. It is the time that reminds us of the original coming of Jesus at Christmas and his coming at the end of time. During this season, in the midst of preparation for the Christmas holidays, we also work on preparing a place in our hearts and lives for Jesus to be born in our world within us today.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Saturday, November 28, 2009

On Prayer and Work

Workaholiism can be a problem at times.



As in many other areas, Benedict advocated moderation--taking the middle road of balance between work, prayer and rest. It seems that he realized that that middle ground can be difficult to achieve for the community members. In Chapter 48, Benedict prescribes the division of time between prayer and work.



Being a person who has difficulty finding balance in my life at times, I have grown to appreciate the wisdom of Benedict's directives on moderation and balance.

Sr. Catherine, OSB


Friday, November 27, 2009

Manual Labor

Manual labor has been a part of the monastic tradition throughout its history.

Whether it is the agrarian communities that lived by the work of their hands or the simple tasks of daily living there has always been the rhythm of work and prayer.

In our community, there are may stories of the years when we were much more rural--growing our own produce and raising chickens. There are also many memories of community recreation time when different Sisters would bring their hand work (knitting, crocheting, sewing) to work on as they shared the news of the day.

Work can have a way of bringing people together as we work on projects side by side.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Bells


Bells are very monastic. They call us to prayer and remind us throughout the day what the purpose of our life is--to become aware of God's presence among us and around us and to praise God throughout the day.

Since our recent renovation, we have had a bell tower added to our property. Now, not only are the daily hours announced, but also our neighbors are reminded throughout the day of our prayer schedule and other events in our community life. In a sense, we are proclaiming our presence daily in the heart of Tulsa.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Wise Companion


I have found in my life that those faults or flaws in my life that I acknowledge and share with another are more likely to diminish in force or importance than those flaws that I would rather keep hidden within myself. The more I try to hide the truth about myself from others and sometimes even from myself, the slower my progress in trying to build on my strengths and to ask for God's mercy and compassion as I continue striving for wholeness and holiness.

It's necessary for me to stop focusing on hiding myself from myself and from others so that God's patience and love can shine through me to others.


Sr. Catherine, OSB

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Mistakes in Prayer


Before I entered the monastery I fantasized that community prayer would be like praying with the angels. While some aspects of community prayer and some liturgies do invoke images of angelic beings among us, most days our prayer is pretty much a human endeavor. Very human.


St. Benedict addresses mistakes in common prayer today. Although reading Chapter 45 from a modern perspective makes some of his suggestions and remedies seem somewhat harsh, the basic idea he was trying to get across was that prayer requires our full attention. It is not the minor errors that he was trying to avoid (those happen naturally) but the mistakes that are due to inattentiveness. For Benedict, community prayer required everyones full attention.


I need to ask myself regularly if I am being fully present at prayers. Or is it just my body that is present.


Sr. Catherine, OSB

Monday, November 23, 2009

Forgiveness in Community

Few things can tear apart a family, community or team faster than resentments and unresolved hurts.

I know that when I realize that I have hurt or wronged someone for whatever reason there is an uncomfortable feeling within myself as I struggle to find a way to make things better and to start rebuilding the relationship. That is not always easy to do since it will require lots of humility on my part to admit that I was wrong. There is also the fear of what the other person's reaction might be.

If I happen to be the person who was hurt, sometimes I try to make the person feel as miserable as I felt initially. There might even be a slight feeling of power as I realize that I can choose to accept the apology or not.

In the end, however, it is living with these unacknowledged wounds that slowly eat away both at the people involved and at community in general. It is in forgiving the hurts that I can start repairing the damage done in the past.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Common Table

Sharing a meals together can be teaching moments for all of us. I know that when I first entered our community I had a hard time appreciating the value of dinner time conversation and having a leisurely meal as a group.

Although my family generally had at least one daily meal together I had somehow missed the finer points of conversation and eating slowly rather than inhaling my meal. Over the years I have gotten better at participating in meal conversation and pleasantries. Our community also has the tradition of an after meal blessing to signal the end of the meal--that gives us an external signal of the end of the meal and also reminds us that all that happened in the dining room was in God's presence. This is also one more way in which Benedict's connection between table and oratory is emphasized.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Work of God



Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God. RB 43.3

"The Work of God"...what is the Work of God? How am I invited to participate in that Work?

This phrase is found in the chapter dealing with tardiness or readiness for prayer or meals. It is a chapter that tends to equate what happens in chapel with what happens at the table in our dining room. That is an interesting parallel because at least in our house prayers and meals seem to carry an important connection. When planning our community schedule of events the main question often seems to be when do we pray and when do we eat. We often find ourselves going from the oratory to the table or from the table to the oratory.

Placing prayer and meals together in the Rule seems to suggest that there should be a natural carry over from prayer time to community time and vice versa. In a sense what we proclaim and commit to in the oratory we need to be able to live out in the dining room.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Friday, November 20, 2009

Table Reading


Our community has the custom of reading at table during the first half of dinner every evening. When I entered community, we reserved table reading for special liturgical seasons--such as Advent and Lent. Over the years, however, we have begun incorporating a period of silence and reading with all of our weekday evening meals.

While it took a while for me to see the value of sharing the silence and the reflective reading together, I have come to appreciate that quiet time...especially when the day leading up to dinner has been hectic. The reading period sets the tone for the meal and allows me to still myself enough to fully re-integrate myself into the community. The reading itself can also often provide starting points for mealtime conversation.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Shared Meals

This Tuesday our Sisters and Oblates had the opportunity to share a meal with some very special young adults. The Newman Center at the University of Tulsa provides free lunch every Tuesday for students, staff and anyone else that happens to drop in during the hour. It is a time of catching up on the weeks events, visiting with friends, and getting a meal in before moving on to the next event.

For the last three years Sister Marilyn and I have had the privilege of being included at these lunches. It is definitely a part of my week that I miss when I happen to be out of town. Our Community and Oblates have made a commitment to serve the students lunch at least once a year. It is usually a fun time for everyone and there is always TONS of food.

Watch our blog and website over the next few days for photos of this event.

website: stjosephmonastery.org

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Moderation in Life


Anyone who has been to Italy knows that good wine flows in Italy almost as abundantly as the water that available at the public fountains.

Benedict knew his community and understood human nature very well. He was a realist about the situations that arise within community--his and those that would follow. In setting guidelines for the use of food and drink in the monastery, he did not advocate strict mandates that few would be successful in following. He chose to follow a moderate path which allowed for the members to be able to challenge themselves to the next level--whatever that next level happened to be for them.

I need to remember that in my own life. Many times I start a new practice by striving for the gold medal rather than being comfortable with at least making a little progress every day.


Sr. Catherine, OSB

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Moderation in Food


Although Benedict never visited an all you can eat cafeteria, his wisdom on the variety and amount of food necessary is right on.


Benedict understood that there needed to be some variety in the food that was served. Not so much variety that it overwhelmed the person and the choice became too complicated. He suggests that in most cases a choice between two entrees is sufficient. This choice considers personal preferences and possible allergies or food sensitivities. The food is to be sufficient for the work performed during the day. If the work is hard, more food may be provided.

I wonder if there would be less need for diets and weight loss techniques if Benedict's thoughts on moderation were considered.


Sr. Catherine, OSB

Monday, November 16, 2009

Listening to a Good Story

My first year teaching I was assigned a class of 70 seventh and eighth graders. Some days I had total bedlam, but not for 30 minutes on Monday afternoons.

On Mondays the girls, 40 of them, went to choir; this left me with 30 boys. I learned early on that they loved a good story and loved to be read to. So for that 30 minutes I read to them. It was the most peaceful 30 minutes in my day.

Sharing thought provoking reading and conversation, mealtimes are peaceful times in the monastery too.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Sunday, November 15, 2009

The Elders and The Young

At our family celebrations the old folks—Grandma, Grandpa, the great aunts and uncles—and the young folks, not yet teenagers, got the most attention.

The old folks got special places at the table and special food if required, and the young folks always got to eat early or have a snack before dinner. Isn’t it amazing that St. Benedict seems to favor the elderly and the young with special treatment, too.

At other times in the Rule when Benedict speaks of calling the community together for discussing issues, he asks the monks to listen to everyone in the community even the youngest. The elder monks may have wisdom and knowledge of how life was BACK THEN, but the younger monks have the wisdom and knowledge of how life is NOW.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Caring for the Sick

We had the privilege of caring for my mother at home for five years before she died at age 92. Home health nurses took care of her during the day while my brothers and I worked at our jobs. In the evening and on weekends we were in charge. We fed her, bathed her, dressed her, did her therapy with her, and put her to bed. In the morning we did the same, then put her in her wheelchair or her lounge chair for the day. These were such enjoyable times for us. Mom had such a great sense of humor and every day she had new stories to share about her childhood, and the colorful characters she took care of in nursing homes where she worked for more than 20 years. At least 3 or 4 times each day she had us praying the Rosary with her.

Caring for the sick can teach us so much about how to live and how to die. Perhaps this is why St. Benedict says: “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ, for he said, I was sick and you visited me, and What you did for one of these…you did for me.”

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Friday, November 13, 2009

On Serving One Another

Do you think our parents got the idea of assigning tasks to us from St. Benedict? It seems my parents had this idea. We had days assigned to set the table, to wash and dry the dishes, to help wash and hang the dish towels on the outside line (we had no dryer in those days). These tasks taught us that each member of the family, young and old, can by serving one another contribute to the smooth running of a household and build up relationships between brothers and sisters at the same time. St. Benedict’s monks may not have argued as much as we did about whose turn it was to do what task, but perhaps they learned the same lesson we did—serving one another is what family is all about.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Thursday, November 12, 2009

On Service

At Senator Ted Kennedy’s memorial service his nephew told this story about him. He said that when Kennedy was running for the Senate the first time, his opponent criticized him for having never worked a day in his life. A steel worker stopped Kennedy during his campaign and said, “I hear you have never worked a day in your life.” And Kennedy told him no, he had never really had a job and worked like most people. The steel worker replied, “I’ve worked all my life and I want you to know that you haven’t missed a thing.”

St. Benedict would never agree with the steel worker. Serving one another is the work Benedict calls us to do. This serving one another fosters love and builds up the community. If we don’t work at serving one another, we have missed the whole purpose of our Benedictine life.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Want VS Need

Fr. Mike Roethler OSB was president of St Gregory’s University when I began teaching there. He was a kind and gentle person. Whenever any of us went to him with a request to spend money, his response was always: “Is this a WANT or a NEED”?

I think St Benedict is asking us to do the same thing—to consider if our request is a WANT or a NEED. After thoughtful consideration we may find that most things we think we need are really just wants to make our lives more comfortable.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

God's Return on Investment

Chapter 33 of the rule reminds me of Mark’s gospel story about the poor widow and her contribution of two coins; “she contributed her whole livelihood.” In a sense she was left with no money, with nothing to provide for her own well-being. And yet, at the same time she was left with everything, with a faith in God to sustain her, a hope in God to encourage her and a love of God to nourish her. She contributed her whole livelihood, but God returned it to her in a more precious kind of livelihood.

When people ask us how we can live without owning something, without having something to call our own, our response is the poor widow’s response. We may have contributed a livelihood with possessions , and yet , we have a more precious livelihood without possessions. We are cherished by God and community and have time to share our faith, our hope and love with others.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Monday, November 9, 2009

Cleaning Up the Messes


“Whoever fails to keep the things belonging to the monastery clean or treats them carelessly should be reproved.” RB 32

How many times have you walked into the break room at the office, or into your own kitchen and found someone else’s mess? Have you seen the sign posted that says, “Your mother doesn’t work here,” reminding us to clean up after ourselves?

It is the same in the monastery. Benedict anticipates that we will take responsibility for our own actions, do the right things, and clean up our messes. This is particularly important in common spaces and with things available for general use by all.

Often we don’t intentionally leave things askew – we get called away and forget to go back. A kind reminder is sometimes all that’s needed. And some of us need those reminders most days!


Sr. Christine, OSB

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Distribution of Goods


“Necessary items are to be requested and given at the proper times, so that no one may be disquieted or distressed in the house of God.” RB 31

Benedict makes it clear that although one member of the community is in charge of the distribution of goods (supplies, linens, even food), there is to be no withholding goods on a whim, no power plays to prove “who’s in charge.” The one who distributes what the community members need is to do so with all humbleness and with an awareness that ultimately it is God who will judge his or her motives.

Of course, the same goes for each of us – our motives may appear to be well-intentioned, but it is God who knows our mind and heart and reads our motivation for everything we do. Arrogance, passive aggressive behavior, or laziness are not excuses when it comes to doing what others rely on us to do. It is how we serve God – through serving one another.


Sr. Christine, OSB

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Care of Goods


“…regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar.” RB 31

Benedict directs this statement to the monastic in charge of the community’s temporal goods, however, it is a practice the entire community embraces. The kind of stewardship Benedict expects is far beyond our present-day “throwaway” mindset.

Throughout the Rule, Benedict expects his followers to do even the smallest deed well and mindfully. Special care is to be taken with material goods, utensils and tools are to be inventoried regularly and amends are to be made if something is broken through carelessness or neglect.

If Benedict expects this kind of care for worldly goods, how much more he must expect us to care for one another!


Sr. Christine, OSB

Friday, November 6, 2009

Appropriate Discipline

Parents understand that each child is individual and responds differently to various forms of discipline. With some reasoning might work, with others a reward system works best, and for others a time out system is necessary. The same is true in any form of community, whether a family, a classroom or a business.

In setting up his community Benedict was aware of this need for individualization also. In Chapter 30, he advises that care should be taken to use the appropriate means to modify behavior in each situation. Benedict is very aware of the differences in personalities and approaches.


Sr. Catherine, OSB

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Returning Three Times


Benedict understands that it is not always easy to make a committment. Sometimes a committment needs to grow on you, in a sense.


In Chapter 29 of the Rule, Benedict allows for a person to leave and ask for readmission into community as many as three times. He seems to understand that sometimes there might still be issues from the past that need to be resolved or that there might be obstacles to true growth. Benedict also realized that at some point a committment of some sort must be made--thus the limit on number of entrances to community.


Sr. Catherine

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Praying for Those in Need


Benedict considers prayer to be a "last resort" type of remedy for the erring. After the community has tried reasoning with the person, public sanctions, and separation from community, then the entire community is invited to pray for the person.

On one level it seems somewhat backward to use prayer as a last resort, yet I am reminded of the many times when prayer does seem to be the last place I turn to once I have exhausted all of the other remedies available to me. Maybe Benedict is telling us that once we have tried everything in our power to remedy the situation...then the one thing left (actually the best thing) is to place the person or situation in God's hands.


Sr. Catherine, OSB

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A Wise Companion


I am reminded of the saying: "Misery loves company." when I read Chapter 27 of the Rule.


Once a person's behavior has caused separation from the community, it is very easy to either fall into deep dispair about the situation or to become even more defiant and try to find allies within the community...causing greater division. What Benedict suggests is for the superior to allow one person to encourage the wayward back into the community. Care must be taken that this is not going to be a misery party. Therefore, the companion must have an adequate amount of maturity not to become part of the problem.


This companion or senpectae is to act as a truth teller to the wayward. We all need people in our lives that care about us enough and that know us well enough to be able to challenge us into growth. I am fortunate to have many friends that have done that for me in my life. The truth tellers in our lives are our truest friends.


May I always be willing to hear and open to the truth presented to me by those wiser than me.


Sr. Catherine

Monday, November 2, 2009

In Memory of Those Who Have Gone Before



Sr. Assumpta






Sr. Mary Stephen




Sr. Mary Ellen




Sr. Imelda






Sr. Joachim







Sr. Louise
Sr. Mary Louis

Sr. Mary Esther

Sr. Fabian


Srs. Emily, Mary Ellen, Isabelle



Sr. Emily




Sr. Cornelia


We remember those who have gone before us during the month of November. One of the great things about community is that the women who have preceded us both into our community and into eternal life are part of our history, part of our heritage, part of who we are today whether we knew them personally or not. Their story gets mixed with our life and our stories and they all become one whole.
When someone dies in our community, we have the tradition of having an evening of sharing about the person, shortly after the funeral. It is a time to celebrate their life among us, their quirks, the joy they brought us, and sometimes even the pain and sorrow they brought. For me that is one of the best parts of growing in community because I get to experience our Sisters as others have known them at other times.
May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
You can still send us the names of your beloved dead to be placed before the altar during the month of November. Address: Sr. Christine Ereiser, OSB, 2200 South Lewis Ave., Tulsa, OK 74114.
Sr. Catherine

Sunday, November 1, 2009

More Serious Faults


Benedict believed in tough love as part of his code of discipline.

If I am being so disruptive and misguided in my behavior that it starts impacting the prayer and common life of the community, family or workplace, then it might be time to separate me entirely from the environment both for my own good and for the good of others.


In Chapter 25, Benedict does not only say that I should be separated but also that no one should speak or get close to me. In a sense, Benedict considers the inappropriate actions like a contagious disease that everyone needs to stay away from before the whole group becomes diseased.


Sr. Catherine. OSB